Senior Propulsion Component Test Engineer
Senior Propulsion Component Test Engineer at Amca — El Segundo, CA, US
- Company: Amca
- Location: El Segundo, CA, US
- Salary: $150,000–$250,000 a year
- Posted: 2026-07-16
About this role
There was a time when all of America believed that the future of the physical world could be radically different. The engineers of the mid-1900s put a man on the moon in eight years, designed and built planes and submarines from scratch in under three, and conceived of building things we wouldn’t even be able to dream up today.
Today, the last of the engineers who imagined and built these systems are retiring. As they go, we lose not only the engineering knowledge gained from their decades of imagination and trial-and-error, but also the spirit that made that imagination possible.
Amca is working day-in and day-out to restore America’s ability to engineer anything that our critical systems depend on, and reinvigorate the cycle of creation that allows imagination to shape physical reality. We rapidly develop and manufacture new critical components and subsystems required to build and sustain the planes, military vehicles, and core infrastructure America needs. By restoring the capability of our antiquated supply chains, we increase the country’s capacity to imagine and realize new systems, and make a physical world that looks very different from today.
Overview
The Senior Propulsion Component Test Engineer owns the verification and qualification testing of Amca's propulsion control hardware. You will design test rigs and fixtures, plan and lead flow, pressure, leakage, endurance, and environmental testing, and turn test data into clear engineering conclusions. This role sits at the point where design meets proof, and it demands rigor in both test setup and data analysis.
Responsibilities
Test Design and Setup
- Design and build test rigs, fixtures, and fluid loops for hydraulic and pneumatic hardware.
- Specify instrumentation and data acquisition for flow, pressure, temperature, and position measurement.
- Develop test plans and detailed procedures for development, qualification, and acceptance testing.
Test Execution
- Lead flow, pressure, leakage, proof, burst, endurance, and environmental testing.
- Execute qualification campaigns against DO-160 and applicable MIL-STD requirements.
- Ensure test safety practices for high-pressure and hazardous-fluid operations.
Analysis and Reporting
- Reduce and analyze test data, quantify uncertainty, and compare results to requirements.
- Author test reports and support root cause analysis on failures and anomalies.
- Feed test findings back to design and mentor junior test engineers.
Basic Qualifications
- Bachelor's degree in mechanical engineering, aerospace engineering, or a related technical discipline.
- 5+ years in test engineering for propulsion components, fluids, hydraulic, pneumatic, or mechanical hardware.
- Hands-on experience with test rig design, instrumentation, and data acquisition systems.
- Strong grasp of fluid measurement, uncertainty analysis, and test data reduction.
- Experience planning and executing qualification test campaigns.
Preferred Qualifications
- Master's degree in a relevant engineering discipline.
- Experience with LabVIEW or comparable DAQ and test automation tools.
- Familiarity with DO-160 environmental testing and MIL-STD test methods.
- Experience testing servo valves, actuators, or high-pressure fluid systems.
- Experience working across multiple manufacturing sites or factories.
Annual Salary Range
$150,000—$250,000 USD
This position requires use of information which is subject to the International Traffic in Arms Regulations (ITAR). All applicants must be U.S. persons within the meaning of ITAR. ITAR defines a US person as: any individual who is granted U.S. citizenship; or. any individual who is granted U.S. permanent residence ("Green Card" holder); or. any individual who is granted status as a "protected person" under 8 U.S.C 1324b(a)(3).
The Advanced Manufacturing Company of America prohibits discrimination or harassment based on the following categories: race, color, religion, religious creed (including religious dress and grooming practices), national origin, ancestry, citizenship, physical or mental disability, medical condition (including cancer and genetic characteristics), genetic information, marital status, sex (including pregnancy, childbirth, breastfeeding, or related medical conditions), gender, gender identity, gender expression, age (40 years and over), sexual orientation, veteran and/or military status, protected medical leaves (requesting or approved for leave under the Family and Medical Leave Act or the California Family Rights Act), domestic violence victim status, political affiliation, and any other status protected by state or federal law.
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